Aptamers for nanobodies: A nontoxic alternative to toxic ochratoxin A in immunoassays.

To measure toxins using immunoassays, hazardous toxin standards need to be added for quantification. To solve this problem, we propose to use aptamers as competitors to replace toxin standards. In this work, aptamers specific for ochratoxin A (OTA) nanobodies were selected using a DNA library containing a 36 nucleotide random region.

Zebrafish as model organisms for toxicological evaluations in the field of food science.

Food safety has long been an area of concern. The selection of stable and efficient model organisms is particularly important for food toxicology studies. Zebrafish (Danio rerio) are small model vertebrates, and 70% of human genes have at least one zebrafish ortholog.

Selection of a Novel DNA Aptamer Specific for 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural Using Capture-SELEX.

A capture systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment (Capture-SELEX) was described to discover novel aptamers specific for 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF), and a biosensor based on molecular beacon was constructed to detect 5-HMF. The ssDNA library was immobilized to streptavidin (SA) resin to select the specific aptamer. The selection progress was monitored using real-time quantitative PCR (Q-PCR), and the enriched library was sequenced by high-throughput sequencing (HTS).

The applicability evaluation and drought validation of the WOFOST model for the simulation of winter wheat growth in Shandong Province, China.

The yield of winter wheat in Shandong Province is of great significance for ensuring regional and national food security. To reduce the risk of production loss, the WOFOST model was used to simulate the winter wheat growth to obtain the quantitative and dynamic information. Based on the observational data, a moisture control experiment and the trial and error method, the applicability and drought simulation of the WOFOST model were evaluated for winter wheat growth.

Comparison of the Effects of 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural in Milk Powder Matrix and Standard Water on Oxidative Stress System of Zebrafish.

5-Hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF) and furfural (FF) are products of the maillard reaction (MR) in milk powder and their safety is controversial. The concentration changes of 5-HMF and FF after a period of cold storage were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Then, we compared the toxicity effects of 5-HMF (2, 20, or 200 μM) in milk powder matrix and standard water on the oxidative stress system of zebrafish embryos.

[Climatic suitability model for spring maize in Northeast China].

Crop growth is a continuous and dynamic process, and thus, the optimal meteorological indices for crop growth also change continuously. In this paper, the estimation algorithms of the daily available precipitation and the temporal interpolation methods of meteorological indices for crop growth were developed, and the climatic suitability model at daily scale was established, which was tested by the spring maize data of agro-meteorological stations in Northeast China. The simulated climatic suitability had significantly positive correlations with the height and 100-grain mass of spring maize.

[An operational remote sensing algorithm of land surface evapotranspiration based on NOAA PAL dataset].

Based on the time series 10-day composite NOAA Pathfinder AVHRR Land (PAL) dataset (8 km x 8 km), and by using land surface energy balance equation and "VI-Ts" (vegetation index-land surface temperature) method, a new algorithm of land surface evapotranspiration (ET) was constructed. This new algorithm did not need the support from meteorological observation data, and all of its parameters and variables were directly inversed or derived from remote sensing data. A widely accepted ET model of remote sensing, i.

[Classification and dynamic changes of grasslands in northern Tibet based on recent 20 years satellite data].

Based on the NOAA/AVHRR 10-day composite NDVI data from 1982 to 2000 and by the methods of principal component analysis and unsupervised classification, the vegetations in Naqu District of northern Tibet were classified, and the annual and inter-annual variations of NDVI on the pixels selected from different grassland types were analyzed. The regions where the mean NDVI values during the main growth season of grass were equal to or great than 0.1 were defined as vegetation regions, while those where the mean NDVI values were less than 0.

[Variation trends of China terrestrial vegetation net primary productivity and its responses to climate factors in 1982-2000].

A new estimation model of vegetation net primary production (NPP) based on remote sensing data and climatic data was presented, with which, the NPP of China terrestrial vegetation in 1982-2000 was estimated, and the intra- and inter- annual variation patterns of the NPP and its responses to climate factors were studied. The results showed that there was an obvious seasonal regularity in the intra-annual variation of the NPP. In 1982-2000, all the terrestrial vegetation types presented an increasing annual NPP, with the greatest increment for deciduous needle leaf forests and the smallest one for grasses.